Gina Rushing Maguire has been called a miracle worker and a saint among her many accolades in her decades as a community leader.
On Friday, she received a new title: the coveted Woman of the Year award from Rick Rackers, an auxiliary of the Assistance League of Long Beach.
Almost 200 guests gave Maguire an emotional standing ovation as she was introduced as the 70th annual Woman of the Year by WOY Chair Nancy Beesley at The Grand on Long Beach’s eastside.
From right, The Press-Telegram’s Rich Archbold, Gina Rushing Maguire and Daniel Rushing share stories at The Grand in Long Beach on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Gina Rushing Maguire is recognized by the Rick Rackers, an auxiliary of the Long Beach Assistance League, as the 2026 Woman of the Year in Long Beach on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Gina Rushing Maguire speaks after being recognized by the Rick Rackers, an auxiliary of the Long Beach Assistance League, as the 2026 Woman of the Year in Long Beach on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Gina Rushing Maguire speaks after being recognized by the Rick Rackers, an auxiliary of the Long Beach Assistance League, as the 2026 Woman of the Year in Long Beach on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Gina Rushing Maguire speaks after being recognized by the Rick Rackers, an auxiliary of the Long Beach Assistance League, as the 2026 Woman of the Year in Long Beach on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Gina Rushing Maguire thanks her husband while being recognized by the Rick Rackers, an auxiliary of the Long Beach Assistance League, as the 2026 Woman of the Year in Long Beach on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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From right, The Press-Telegram’s Rich Archbold, Gina Rushing Maguire and Daniel Rushing share stories at The Grand in Long Beach on Friday, March 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
“Thank you for this honor,” Maguire said as she dabbed at her teary eyes with tissues. “Thank you for the gift of today. I am overwhelmed. What an honor to be among so many people I admire and love.” In the audience were her husband, Tom Maguire, and their sons, Daniel Rushing and Patrick Maguire.
The Rick Rackers, organizers of this annual event, were founded in 1942 by Winifred Campbell who had been the first president of the Assistance League in 1940. She helped 25 young women gather in service to the community as an auxiliary.
One of their first efforts was rolling bandages for the Red Cross during World War II. The women wore white pinafore aprons decorated with red rick rack braid which gave the group its unique name.
Today their main endeavor is to provide school uniforms to needy Long Beach children. Over 12,000 children received this benefit through Operation School Bell this school year.
In 1955, the Rick Rackers began honoring women for their exemplary volunteer work and calling it Woman of the Year. There were no events in 2015 because of an event scheduling change and in 2021 because of the Covid pandemic. It’s traditional for the previous recipients to attend each year so they can welcome the new honoree into their ranks. Of the 26 living women who have been named Woman of the Year in the past, 19 were in attendance to congratulate Maguire.
Flash back through the list of 70 women who have received this honor and it’s like a who’s who of movers and shakers in the history of this city.
David Zanatta, a retired marketing executive, said he was delighted that he got to sit at a table of past Woman of the Year honorees at the luncheon. Having moved to Long Beach in 1985, he feels he grew by knowing these various women and their efforts and said, “The accumulation of knowledge, experience, commitment and service of these women is much responsible for the Long Beach we have today.”
Maguire began her speech by saying it was perfect that the WOY honor came during Women’s History Month.
“We honor women who do more than is comfortable or convenient, women who work hard to make things better for our children, our families, for people from all backgrounds and neighborhoods. Women who love big,” she said. “We are so blessed to live in a community that’s a family — a complex, multi-layered and sometimes messy family, yes — but Long Beach is a place where people watch out for each other and care, a place to call home–my home since 1960 when my family moved here from Kansas.”
She said she attended her first WOY event in 1987 when Beverly Lewis O’Neill was honored with the award for her work at Long Beach City College and in the community. In 1994 O’Neill was elected mayor of Long Beach and served three terms.
At that time Maguire was 38, working full time as a marketing manager and was active with the Long Beach Junior League. She said she was excited about O’Neill being honored because O’Neill’s mother, Flossie Lewis, befriended and mentored Maguire’s mother, Clara Holden, at an Al-Anon meeting in the 1960s.
“Beverly was someone I looked up to as a teenager, at a time when I knew few women who had careers outside the home,” Maguire said. “She was a role model and encouraged me. She continues to inspire me today, and I miss her here with us now. She would have loved all this fuss!”
Maguire singled out people she had worked with over the years, including the Long Beach League for John Tracy Clinic, the Junior League, Leadership Long Beach (which she helped found), the Rotary Club and the City of Long Beach Public Utilities.
Last but not least, she thanked her friends from St. Anthony High School, including the president Christine Tucker. Maguire graduated from St. Anthony’s, the only Catholic high school in Long Beach, in 1967 and became president of the school in 2002.
She is credited with saving the school from closing, which some called a miracle.
“I remember feeling so unprepared at the time,” she told the guests. “I had absolutely no experience leading a school. The stakes were high. What if all my best efforts weren’t enough to save St. Anthony from closure?”
She said it was the encouragement of friends like Marlene Moncure and Janey Roeder who gave her the courage to try.
“Everything we have comes to us through people,” she said. “I was lucky enough to be born into a family where I was loved and encouraged from the start to develop my God-given gifts and use them. I so wish my parents, Roy and Clara Holden, could be here today, because so much of who I am is them … I learned to trust myself and risk, even when I was afraid.”
After rebuilding St. Anthony’s, Maguire decided to step away from the school in 2021 “ready to let go and let others lead, even though I was unsure what was next. Little did I know how my life was, once again, about to change.”
Just eight months after her retirement, in February 2022 her husband, Tom, and she were in a car accident, which, at first, they thought was minor, but over the coming weeks it became clear something was very wrong.
“Tom was taking blood thinner medication and, unknown to us, the accident had jostled his head and started a slow brain bleed, an intracranial hemorrhage requiring surgery to save his life.” she said. “He was hospitalized for 20 months with complication after complication and finally released to come home 2 ½ years ago. Today, Tom is, miraculously here, disabled yes, but still recovering and growing stronger..” She pointed to Tom who was sitting in a wheelchair at
her table with his caregiver, Ave Malagamali’l sitting next to him. The audience responded with loud applause.
Maguire said her audience had figured out that her current job was “yet another unexpected career change that I felt hugely unprepared for. I am now a caregiver.”
Maguire said that caring for someone you love “is by far the most heartbreaking and challenging work I’ve ever done in my life. And it is also the most meaningful and rewarding. Today, I clearly see that the last four years have brought so many accidental gifts. And, I am finally, fully living in the present, one day at a time. My mother would be so proud.”
When she ended her talk, the audience gave her a rousing, second standing ovation.